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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/skyrobot804/node_v1/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Node v1 is configured entirely through a single config.yaml file located in the project root directory. Every feature — from ALPACA device connections and the photometry pipeline to safety timeouts and cloud registration — is controlled by the keys in this file. No environment setup or command-line flags are required for normal operation. The dashboard also includes a live in-browser config editor so you can adjust settings without leaving your browser.

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Full Annotated config.yaml

The block below is the complete config.yaml with every key shown at its default value. Copy this as a starting point and edit the values relevant to your setup.
config.yaml
alpaca:
  discovery_port: 32227
  discovery_timeout: 5
  api_version: 1
  default_server:
    address: 172.22.6.32
    port: 32323

devices:
  telescope:
    enabled: true
    device_number: 0
  camera:
    enabled: true
    device_number: 0
  focuser:
    enabled: false
    device_number: 0
  filterwheel:
    enabled: false
    device_number: 0
  covercalibrator:
    enabled: true
    device_number: 0

telescope:
  slew_ra: 23.6833
  slew_dec: 80.2692
  tracking_rate: 0

camera:
  exposure_duration: 1.0
  binning: 1

autofocus:
  exposure_s: 2.0          # short exposure per focus sample
  step_size: 50            # focuser steps between samples
  steps_per_side: 5        # sweep visits 2*steps_per_side + 1 positions
  settle_s: 1.0            # vibration settle after each move
  samples_per_point: 1     # frames median-combined per position (>1 fights noise)
  min_position: null       # hard focuser travel floor (null = none)
  max_position: null       # hard focuser travel ceiling (null = none)

centering:
  exposure_s: 3.0          # exposure per plate-solve frame
  tolerance_arcmin: 3.0    # stop once target is within this of frame centre
  max_iterations: 4        # give up after this many solve attempts
  settle_s: 2.0            # vibration settle after each slew

stacking:
  frames: 20               # number of sub-frames to capture and stack
  exposure_s: 10.0         # per sub-frame exposure
  preview_every: 1         # re-render the live preview every N stacked frames

logging:
  level: INFO
  format: '%(asctime)s [%(levelname)s] %(name)s: %(message)s'

pier_cam:
  enabled: false
  device_index: 0
  sdk_lib: ''
  exposure_ms: 80
  gain: 200
  bin: 2
  target_fps: 10
  jpeg_quality: 75

image_watcher:
  enabled: false
  watch_path: /mnt/seestar
  debounce_delay: 2.0

observatory:
  name: ''
  latitude: null
  longitude: null
  elevation: 0.0
  telescope: ZWO Seestar S50
  instrument: ZWO Seestar S50 IMX462
  observer: ''

photometry:
  enabled: false
  node_id: node_001
  filter_name: CV
  gain: 1.0
  read_noise: 5.0
  target:
    name: ''
    ra_deg: null
    dec_deg: null
  astap_path: astap
  astap_search_radius: 10
  aperture_factor: 2.5
  annulus_inner: 4.0
  annulus_outer: 6.0
  field_radius: 0.5
  mag_limit: 15.0
  min_comparison_stars: 3
  snr_threshold: 20
  max_uncertainty: 0.3
  max_airmass: 3.0
  fits_export:
    enabled: true
    export_dir: fits_export

aavso:
  observer_code: ''
  username: ''
  password: ''
  audit_dir: aavso_submissions
  dry_run: false
  submit_poor_quality: false
  chart_id: ''

cloud:
  enabled: false
  url: ''                      # e.g. https://cloud.boundless-skies.org
  node_id: ''                  # blank = auto-register on first start
  api_key: ''                  # blank = auto-register on first start
  heartbeat_interval: 60       # seconds between heartbeats (with conditions)
  plan_poll_interval: 300      # seconds between observation-plan polls
  auto_run_plans: false        # execute cloud plans automatically when idle
  upload_images: false         # also upload raw FITS after each measurement

safety:
  enabled: true
  disconnect_timeout: 600
  heartbeat_interval: 30
  reconnect_attempts: 3
  reconnect_delay: 10
  park_at_dawn: true
  dawn_type: astronomical
  observer:
    latitude: 0.0
    longitude: 0.0

​
Editing the Config

There are two ways to update config.yaml:
  1. Edit the file directly — open config.yaml in any text editor, save your changes, and restart dashboard.py. The server reads config.yaml once at startup and again whenever it needs to re-load settings (such as when the photometry pipeline processes a new file).
  2. Use the in-browser editor — open the dashboard at http://localhost:5173 and click the Config button in the top-right corner. The editor supports both a structured form view (organised by section) and a raw YAML view. Changes written through the editor are saved to disk immediately; they take full effect after the server is restarted.
The in-browser config editor validates your YAML before saving — if there is a syntax error, the save will be rejected and the error will be shown inline. Changes to photometry, safety, cloud, and image_watcher require a server restart to take effect because those subsystems are initialised once at launch.

​
Top-Level Sections

The table below summarises every top-level section. Click the links for the sections that have dedicated reference pages.

alpaca

ALPACA protocol settings: UDP discovery port and timeout, API version, and the default server address. See ALPACA Discovery below.

devices

Which ALPACA devices (telescope, camera, focuser, filter wheel, cover calibrator) to connect on startup, and their device index numbers. See the Devices page.

photometry + aavso

The differential photometry pipeline and AAVSO WebObs submission credentials. See the Photometry page.

safety

The SafetyManager watchdog: heartbeat interval, reconnect logic, dawn parking, and observer coordinates. See the Safety page.

observatory

Site metadata written into FITS headers: site name, latitude, longitude, elevation, instrument name, and observer identifier.

logging

Python logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR) and the log record format string.

image_watcher

File-system watcher that detects new FITS files on the Seestar SMB share and triggers the photometry pipeline. Set watch_path to the SMB mount point.

pier_cam

Optional live video preview from a ZWO ASI guide camera at the pier, streamed as MJPEG to the dashboard. Requires the zwoasi Python package.

stacking

Live stacking settings: how many sub-frames to capture, the exposure time per frame, and how often to re-render the stacked preview in the dashboard.

cloud

Connection to the Boundless Skies cloud coordinator: endpoint URL, node credentials, heartbeat cadence, observation-plan polling, and whether to auto-execute plans.

​
alpaca

These keys control how Node v1 discovers and communicates with ALPACA servers on your local network.
​
alpaca.discovery_port
integer
default:"32227"
UDP broadcast port used during LAN discovery. The ALPACA specification defines port 32227. Only change this if your server uses a non-standard port.
​
alpaca.discovery_timeout
integer
default:"5"
Seconds to wait for ALPACA servers to respond during a discovery scan. Increase on slow or congested networks.
​
alpaca.api_version
integer
default:"1"
ALPACA API version to use in all HTTP request paths. Almost always 1. Only change this if your server explicitly requires a different version.
​
alpaca.default_server.address
string
default:"172.22.6.32"
IP address of the default ALPACA server. When the dashboard runs a discovery scan and finds this address, it auto-connects without showing the server-selection dialog. Set automatically when you tick Set as default in the connect dialog.
​
alpaca.default_server.port
integer
default:"32323"
Port of the default ALPACA server. Paired with default_server.address for auto-connect.

​
observatory

Observatory metadata embedded in every exported FITS file via fits_export.py. These values are written as standard FITS keywords (TELESCOP, INSTRUME, OBSERVER, SITELAT, SITELONG, SITEELEV).
​
observatory.name
string
default:""
Human-readable name for the observing site. Example: "Boundless Skies Node 001".
​
observatory.latitude
float
default:"null"
Site latitude in decimal degrees north of the equator. South is negative. Example: 51.5074 for London, -33.8688 for Sydney.
​
observatory.longitude
float
default:"null"
Site longitude in decimal degrees east of Greenwich. West is negative. Example: -0.1278 for London, 151.2093 for Sydney.
​
observatory.elevation
float
default:"0.0"
Site elevation above sea level in metres. Used in FITS header metadata.
​
observatory.telescope
string
default:"ZWO Seestar S50"
Telescope name written to the TELESCOP FITS keyword.
​
observatory.instrument
string
default:"ZWO Seestar S50 IMX462"
Detector or instrument name written to the INSTRUME FITS keyword.
​
observatory.observer
string
default:""
Observer name or AAVSO observer code written to the OBSERVER FITS keyword.

​
logging

Controls Python’s standard logging system for the entire Node v1 process, including the dashboard, safety manager, photometry pipeline, and all sub-modules.
​
logging.level
string
default:"INFO"
Minimum log severity to emit. Options: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR. Use DEBUG when diagnosing problems; INFO is recommended for normal operation.
​
logging.format
string
Python logging format string. The default includes a timestamp, severity level, logger name, and message. Refer to the Python logging docs for available fields.

​
image_watcher

The ImageWatcher daemon monitors a directory for newly written FITS files, typically the SMB share mount point of a Seestar S50 on the local network. When a new file appears it is displayed in the dashboard and, if photometry.enabled is true, automatically fed into the photometry pipeline.
​
image_watcher.enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Set to true to start the file-system watcher on launch. Requires watch_path to be set correctly.
​
image_watcher.watch_path
string
default:"/mnt/seestar"
Absolute path to the directory to monitor. For a Seestar on your network, mount its SMB share first (e.g. sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.x/seestar /mnt/seestar) and point this key at the mount point.
​
image_watcher.debounce_delay
float
default:"2.0"
Seconds to wait after a file-system event before reading the new file. Prevents reading a FITS file that is still being written. 2.0 seconds is safe for most SMB shares; increase on slow network connections.

​
pier_cam

Configures an optional ZWO ASI guide or pier camera whose live video feed is streamed as MJPEG to the dashboard. Requires the zwoasi Python package (pip install zwoasi) and the ZWO ASI SDK shared library.
​
pier_cam.enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Set to true to start the pier camera loop on launch. The live view panel appears automatically in the dashboard when streaming begins.
​
pier_cam.device_index
integer
default:"0"
ZWO SDK camera index. Usually 0 for the first connected ASI camera. This is a ZWO SDK index, not an ALPACA device number.
​
pier_cam.sdk_lib
string
default:""
Full path to the ZWO ASI SDK shared library (e.g. /usr/lib/libASICamera2.so on Linux, /usr/local/lib/libASICamera2.dylib on macOS). Leave blank to let zwoasi auto-detect the library.
​
pier_cam.exposure_ms
integer
default:"80"
Exposure time per preview frame in milliseconds. Shorter exposures give a higher frame rate but may be noisier in low light.
​
pier_cam.gain
integer
default:"200"
Camera gain (0–600 for most ZWO cameras). Higher gain increases sensitivity at the cost of more noise.
​
pier_cam.bin
integer
default:"2"
Binning factor for preview frames. 2 means 2×2 binning — half the linear resolution, four times faster readout. Recommended for most setups.
​
pier_cam.target_fps
integer
default:"10"
Target preview frame rate in frames per second. The actual rate is capped by exposure_ms and USB bandwidth.
​
pier_cam.jpeg_quality
integer
default:"75"
JPEG compression quality for streamed frames (10–100). Lower values produce smaller frames and smoother streaming; higher values give sharper images.

​
stacking

Controls the live stacking feature, which captures multiple sub-frames, aligns them via cross-correlation, and renders a running stack preview in the dashboard.
​
stacking.frames
integer
default:"20"
Total number of sub-frames to capture during a live stacking run.
​
stacking.exposure_s
float
default:"10.0"
Exposure duration in seconds for each individual sub-frame.
​
stacking.preview_every
integer
default:"1"
Re-render and update the live preview after every N stacked frames. Set to 1 to update after every frame; set higher to reduce rendering overhead during long runs.

​
camera

Default camera parameters pre-filled in the dashboard exposure controls. These can be overridden per-exposure in the UI.
​
camera.exposure_duration
float
default:"1.0"
Default single-frame exposure duration in seconds.
​
camera.binning
integer
default:"1"
Default binning factor. 1 = full resolution; 2 = 2×2 binning.

​
autofocus

Parameters for the autofocus sweep, which steps the focuser through a range of positions, measures stellar FWHM at each stop, and drives to the best focus position.
​
autofocus.exposure_s
float
default:"2.0"
Exposure duration per focus sample. Short enough to iterate quickly, long enough to measure stars reliably.
​
autofocus.step_size
integer
default:"50"
Focuser steps between adjacent sample positions in the sweep.
​
autofocus.steps_per_side
integer
default:"5"
Number of positions sampled on each side of the starting position. The full sweep visits 2 × steps_per_side + 1 positions.
​
autofocus.settle_s
float
default:"1.0"
Seconds to wait after each focuser move before taking the measurement exposure, allowing vibrations to damp out.
​
autofocus.samples_per_point
integer
default:"1"
Number of frames to capture and median-combine at each focus position. Values greater than 1 reduce the effect of atmospheric scintillation on FWHM measurements.
​
autofocus.min_position
integer
default:"null"
Hard lower limit on focuser travel during the sweep. Set to prevent the focuser from moving below a safe mechanical position. null means no limit.
​
autofocus.max_position
integer
default:"null"
Hard upper limit on focuser travel during the sweep. null means no limit.

​
centering

Parameters for the auto-centering (plate-solve goto refinement) routine, which iteratively slews, plate-solves an exposure, and corrects until the target is within the specified tolerance of the frame centre.
​
centering.exposure_s
float
default:"3.0"
Exposure duration per plate-solve frame during centering iterations.
​
centering.tolerance_arcmin
float
default:"3.0"
Success criterion: the routine stops when the angular distance between the solved frame centre and the target is within this many arcminutes.
​
centering.max_iterations
integer
default:"4"
Maximum number of solve-and-correct iterations before giving up. Prevents infinite loops if the plate solver repeatedly fails or the mount cannot converge.
​
centering.settle_s
float
default:"2.0"
Seconds to wait after each corrective slew before taking the next plate-solve exposure.

​
cloud

Connects Node v1 to the Boundless Skies cloud coordinator, which schedules variable-star observations across all nodes in the network, aggregates measurements, and batch-submits validated results to AAVSO.
​
cloud.enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Set to true to start the CloudCommunicator daemon on launch. When enabled, the node auto-registers with the cloud on first start and persists its credentials in data/cloud_state.json.
​
cloud.url
string
default:""
Base URL of the Boundless Skies cloud endpoint. Example: https://cloud.boundless-skies.org.
​
cloud.node_id
string
default:""
Unique node identifier assigned by the cloud. Leave blank on first start — the node auto-registers and saves its assigned ID to data/cloud_state.json.
​
cloud.api_key
string
default:""
API key assigned by the cloud during registration. Leave blank on first start — auto-populated after registration.
​
cloud.heartbeat_interval
integer
default:"60"
Seconds between heartbeat pings sent to the cloud with local conditions (safety status, schedule state, photometry enabled flag).
​
cloud.plan_poll_interval
integer
default:"300"
Seconds between polls for new observation plans from the cloud scheduler.
​
cloud.auto_run_plans
boolean
default:"false"
When true, observation plans received from the cloud are automatically executed by the schedule runner without any manual confirmation in the dashboard.
​
cloud.upload_images
boolean
default:"false"
When true, raw FITS files are uploaded to the cloud after each successful photometry run, in addition to the measurement data.

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